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Building Healthy Public Policy.

ABSTRACT: Policies in literacy and health need to address two perspectives: how basic literacy skills influence the health of populations and individuals; and health literacy — the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. There are three potential areas for action to improve literacy and health literacy: the health system, the education system, and within the broader sphere of culture and society. Despite some increasing attention in the last 20 years, low literacy levels remain a major problem in Canada. Policies need to be sensitive to culture, especially among Aboriginal peoples, Francophones and new Canadians. Public policies are needed to: improve literacy outcomes (for example, support for a pan-Canadian literacy strategy, early childhood education and family literacy programs, and efforts to reduce high school drop out)improve health literacy (for example, support integrated policy and program development across sectors, integrated research and knowledge translation initiatives, and efforts to build links between literacy and health networks)reduce disparities by strengthening levels of literacy and health literacy among vulnerable groups. Electronic Supplementary MaterialSupplementary material is available for this article at 10.1007/BF03405372 and is accessible for authorized users.

SUBMITTER: Chiarelli L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6976281 | biostudies-literature | 2006 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:ObjectivesThis study uses critical realist methodology to identify the essential and contingent elements of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and Healthy Public Policy (HPP) as operationalised by practitioners.DesignData collection-qualitative interviews and a workshop were conducted with HIA and HPP practitioners working in differing contexts.Data analysisCritical realist analytical questions identified the essential elements of HIA and HPP, the relationship between them, and the influences of public policy and other contingencies on the practice of both.ParticipantsNine interviews were conducted with purposively sampled participants working in Europe, USA and Australasia. 17 self-selected participants who worked in Europe, South East Asia and Australasia attended the workshop.ResultsThe results clarify that HIA and HPP are different but mutually supporting. HIA has four characteristics: assessing a policy proposal to predict population health and equity impacts, a structured process for stakeholder dialogue, making recommendations and flexibly adapting to the policy process. HPP has four characteristics: concern with a broad definition of health, designing policy to improve people's health and reduce health inequities, intersectoral collaboration and influencing the policy cycle from inception to completion. HIA brings to HPP prediction about a policy's broad health impacts, and a structured space for intersectoral engagement, but is one approach within a broader suite of HPP activities. Five features of public policy and seven contingent influences on HIA and HPP practice are identified.ConclusionsThis study clarifies the core attributes of HIA and HPP as separate yet overlapping while subject to wider influences. This provides the necessary common language to describe the application of both and avoid conflated expectations of either. The findings present the conceptual importance of public policy and the institutional role of public health as distinct and important influences on the practice of HIA and HPP.

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Building Healthy Public Policy.

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